Tabu

Biography

Tabassum Fatima Hashmi (born 4 November 1971), credited as Tabu, is an Indian actress who works primarily in Hindi films, alongside Telugu, Tamil, and English films. Regarded as one of the most accomplished actresses in Hindi cinema, she has often played troubled women, from fictional to literary, in both mainstream and independent cinema.

She is the recipient of numerous accolades, including two National Film Awards, seven Filmfare Awards (including a record five Critics Awards for Best Actress), and two Filmfare Awards South. In 2011, she was awarded the Padma Shri, the fourth-highest Indian civilian honor.

Tabu had her first credited role as a teenager in Dev Anand's Hum Naujawan (1985) and played her first leading role in the Telugu film Coolie No. 1 (1991). In 1994, she received the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut for the Hindi action drama Vijaypath.

She won the National Film Award for Best Actress for playing a young woman affected by the Punjab insurgency in the political thriller Maachis (1996). Also in 1996, she had commercial successes in Ninne Pelladata, Kadhal Desam, Saajan Chale Sasural, and Jeet.

Further box office hits came with Iruvar (1997), Border (1997), Biwi No.1 (1999), Hum Saath-Saath Hain (1999), Kandukondain Kandukondain (2000) and Hera Pheri (2000).

Tabu gained acclaim for portraying troubled women in Virasat (1997), Hu Tu Tu (1999), and Astitva (2000), all of which won her Filmfare Critics Awards; and Chandni Bar (2001) which earned her a second National Film Award.

This acclaim continued with the films Maqbool (2004), Cheeni Kum (2007), which won her a record fourth Filmfare Critics Award, and Haider (2014), which earned her the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress.

Tabu expanded to American cinema with The Namesake (2006) and Life of Pi (2012). Her biggest commercial successes in India came with Drishyam (2015), Golmaal Again (2017), Andhadhun (2018), De De Pyaar De (2019), Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo (2020), Drishyam 2 (2022), and Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 (2022), for which she won her fifth Filmfare Critics Award.